Government Shutdown

Another government shutdown is looking increasingly possible as the deadline to pass a federal budget looms. Many Ohio lawmakers say they don’t want a shutdown—but don’t agree on the fine print, either.

The Congressional panel dealing with budget negotiations met this week for the first time to avoid another potential government shutdown and maintain federal funding. The spending bill as it stands now will keep the government open until January 15. U.S.

The vote to reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling limit was approved with most House Republicans opposing it, including most of the lawmakers that represent southwest Ohio. Emily McCord speaks with the Columbus Dispatch's Jessica Wehrman for this week’s PoliticsOhio.

The government shutdown is over, and lawmakers agreed to fund it until January 15th* and raise the debt ceiling through February 7th. Republicans like Ohio Senator Rob Portman are now looking towards future negotiations.

In a conference call with reporters, Portman called this week’s deal a “mixed bag”. He was happy the country didn’t default on its debts and the government is back in business, and that there’s a new provision to verify income levels for people applying for the Affordable Care Act. But he says the agreement does nothing to address the nation’s long-term debt.

The House and the Senate approved a bill that ended the federal government shutdown and gave the Treasury an extended debt ceiling. The Senate approved the measure 81-18; a deal which originated from the leaders of Republican and Democratic Senators. Hours later, the House approved it as well, with most Republicans opposing it. The final vote was 285-144.

The monthly Ohio unemployment report scheduled for Friday will be delayed because of the federal government shutdown. That means residents and employers will have to wait to find out whether the slight uptick in the state jobless rate for August continued last month.

The Columbus Dispatch says the state compiles the report using data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. The shutdown is affecting both agencies.

So far, no Head Start programs in Ohio have been affected by the federal government shutdown. But Barbara Haxton with the Ohio Head Start Association says if there’s no resolution, 11 Head Start facilities across the state will shut down, stranding 2-thousand kids and over a thousand staffers.

"So if those agencies close, families will be lookng for additional care for their children during the day, staff will be laid off - hopefully collecting unemployment for the duration - and programs will be shut down. It's really a bad scene.”

As the federal government shutdown drags on, polls are showing that voters are definitely assigning blame to one party or another. And some are already looking ahead to how the shutdown will play in next year’s big election.

Most credible nationwide polls are showing that overall, respondents blame Republicans more than Democrats or President Obama for the shutdown, and most surveys are also showing a strong streak of anger toward both parties for the situation. But a majority of those who identify as Tea Party members have responded that they support it.

As the federal government shutdown drags into its third week, it has become a sort of background noise, present but not always noticeable. Unless you’re a federal worker, that is; Justine Kelly’s a case in point.

She works at the Social Security Administration, and has been working without pay for weeks.

“This is just so demoralizing,” she said at a Democratic party event in Dayton Monday. “I feel like nobody cares. I feel nobody’s listening, like this is all a game.”

Most civilian workers are back at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, although officials say normal operations will remain difficult during the partial government shutdown. But across the Dayton area, Wright-Patt isn’t alone in its woes since the partial federal government shutdown began Oct. 1.